Piece of furniture usable as sofa or bed



March 28, 1961 PIECE OF C. M. MUGLER FURNITURE USABLE AS SOFA OR BED Filed March 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 8 CHAR- 5 M MUEZER fBY @, (yaw 11 g:

ATTORA/EX March 28, 1961 c, MUGLER 2,976,544

PIECE OF FURNITURE USABLE AS SOFA OR BED Filed March 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H 6 7 INVENTOR.

39 38 677042455 M Ml/GLER United States Patent "6 PIECE OF FURNITURE USABLE AS SOFA OR BED Charles M. Mugler, 8467 Melrose Place, Los Angeles 45, Calif.

Filed Mar. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 723,384

7 Claims. (Cl. -53) This invention relates to an article of furniture which is convertible for use as either a sofa or as a bed.

Particularly for hotel and apartment rooms where space is at a premium, it is a considerable advantage to provide a piece of furniture which can be utilized as a sofa in the daytime and as a bed at night. Furniture for this purpose has previously been suggested, but in general, most already known types of convertible furniture are too complicated to be of much practical use, particularly in hotel installations.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a convertible sofa and bed which is easy to convert to one use or the other, and which is comfortable for both of its intended uses.

An additional object of the invention is to provide such a piece of furniture which need not be permanently aflixed to the walls or floor of the room, thereby eliminating installation problems.

Still another object is to provide a structure which permits the movable portions of the furniture to be easily moved from one position to another when unoccupied but which hold the furniture in an adjusted location when it is occupied.

According to this invention, a frame is provided which is adapted to support a mattress. The frame is supported off the floor at one portion by a swivel joint. Roller supports are placed at other portions of the frame, spaced from the swivel joint, so as to permit the frame to be turned around the swivel joint, and to support the frame olf the floor at these other portions.

A feature of this invention resides in a construction of the roller supports wherein a roller is mounted to the frame through yielding means, which yielding means are opposed between the rollers and the frame. The yielding means have sufiicient strength to overcome the unoccupied weight of the bedso that the frame, mattress and bedding are supported olf the rollers and floor. Accordmgly, the frame is easily swiveled around the swivel joint on the rollers when the bed is unoccupied. These yielding means can be overcome by additional weight on the bed, and a braking action is exerted which immobilizes the roller supports and holds the occupied piece of furniture in a desired location. The furniture is thereby rendered stationary when occupied, and is easily swiveled when unoccupied.

According to a preferred but optional feature of this invention, headboard support means are attached to said frame which means include a track for receiving a headboard, the headboard being removable from the track. A storage cabinet placed along side the bed engages the headboard while the headboard is, installed in the slot across the head of the bed, the headboard being movable to permit the frame to be turned around the swivel joint.

The above and other features of the invention will be fully'understood from the following detailed description,

and the accompanying drawings, of which:

according to' the invention; i

2,976,544 Patented Mar. 28, 1961 ice Fig. 2 is a top view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation taken at line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken at line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-section taken at line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross-section taken at line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary cross-section taken at line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary cross-section taken at line 8-8 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a cross-section taken at line 9-9 of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a cross-section taken at line 10-10 of Fig. 2. A combination sofa and bed according to the invention is indicated by the numeral 10 in Fig. 1. In this figure, the piece of furniture is shown in the position wherein it is useful as a sofa. A storage cabinet 11 which can be supported by the floor or by the wall, however desired, has a top 12, sides 13, 14 and bottom 15. At the outer edge of the top, there are hinges 16 which mount a front cover 17. The outer edges of the sides 13, 14 slope downwardly and outwardly from the wall. A cushion 18 applied to the cover 17 serves 'as a bolster when the cover is lowered to close the cabinet. The bottom of the storage cabinet overhangs a mattress on the bed and may conveniently, and preferably does, extend substantially the full length of the'bed.

A bed frame comprises four lengths of angle iron which form four sides 22-25. As best shown in Fig. 8, which illustrates side 23, the upper flange 26 is horizontal and the side flange 27 projects vertically downward. The three other sides of the frame are identically constructed, and are joined at the corners.

Six L-shaped retainers 28 are attached to the upper horizontal flange of the sides, there being two of these retainers on each of the sides 22, 23 and 24. As shown in Fig. 10, each retainer has a lower horizontal flange 29 which is in abutment with the horizontal flange of the sides. Flange 29 has an elongated slot 30 therein, the slot extending toward an upper vertical flange 31 which projects upwardly from the side. Flange 31 keeps the mattress from sliding oflf the frame. A' headed bolt 32 passes from the top of flange 29 through the slot and through a hole 33 in the horizontal flange of the sides.

A wing nut 34 is threaded on to the end of the bolt where it can be tightened down to hold the adjusted position of the L-shaped retainer. The retainers can thereby be adjusted so that they accommodate mattresses of various dimensions. No retainers need be provided at side 25. The retainer 28 shown in Fig. 10 is typical of all of the retainers.

A swivel joint 36 (see Fig. 5) .is placed on the floor at a distance from wall 35 in order to support a portion of the bed frame off the floor. cludes a frusto-conical base 37 that has an annular flange 38' at its larger, bottom end. This flange has a plurality of radial undulations 39 on its bottom surface which may conveniently be struck therein with a die, and also has four holes 4% for passing screws in the event that it is desired to permanently attach the swivel joint to the floor 41 of a room. The undulations exert sufiicient grip on the nap of a rug to prevent the swivel joint from slipping around on the floor when screws are not used. If desired, the under surface of the annular frame or ofthe swivel joint to the floor or the wall.

nap of a rug but upon a smooth floor.

room withoutpermanently. attaching any portion of the The swivel joint ini The swivel; joint shown thereby enables the'bed to be installed in a" By "swivel joint is means any type of joint whereby the frame is constrained to rotation around a point, and is not limited to the particular joint shown.

The upper surface of the swivel joint is provided with a sink 43 which preferably has the shape of a portion of a sphere, and which has a central drain hole 44 in the bottom thereof. The sink receives the ball portion 45 of a caster bearing 46. This caster bearing, which is a .well known article of manufacture, has a flange 47 attached to a keeper 48. The keeper retains the ball 45 so that it is freely rotatable in all directions relative to the flange. The flange 47 is attached to the underside of the bed frame. The ball 4-5 is simply rested in the sink 43 to form a swivel joint between the frame and the floor. It will be observed that the bed frame can be raised off of the base 37 carrying the caster bearing 46 with it. When the swivel joint is again to be used, the ball 45 is again simply placed in the sink 43.

At each of the three other corner portions of the bed frame, and spaced from the swivel joint, there is attached a roller support 52, 53, 54. These roller supports include rollers 52a, 53a and 54a respectively. These rollers may be cylindrical or tapered as desired. The less expensive cylindrical rollers may conveniently be used, the differential wear on a rug between the two ends of a cylindrical roller being negligible. As best shown in Figs. 8 and 9, which particularly illustrate roller support 52, roller. 52a turns on a shaft 55. Each end of the shaft is held in a bearing 56. Bearing 56 has a cylindrical outer surface 57, with shoulders 58, 59 at an end thereof. These shoulders straddle the side edges of a yoke 60 which is generally- U-shaped, so that the bearing can ride vertically up and down. The yoke has sidewardly extending flanges 61, 62 which are attached by means such as screws 63 to the horizontal flange 26 of the side. The yoke forms an extension of the bed frame and a track for the hearing 56. t

The preferred embodiment of the roller support is shown in solid line in Fig. 8. The vertical length of the inside of the U-shaped yoke is greater than the diameter of the cylindrical outer surface 57. A compression spring 64 is disposed between the horizontal flange of the side of the bed frame and the cylindrical surface 57. The diameter of the cylindrical surface 57 plus the lengthof the totally compressed spring is less than the said vertical length by an amount which is at least equal to the distance of the lower outer end of the bracket 60 from the floor 41 when the bearing 56 is held against the lower inside end of the yoke byithe spring.

other end of the said roller supports being mounted to sides of the frame. Both ends of roller support 52 can be attached directly to sides of the bed frames, The axis of rotation of each of the rollers intersects the vertical axis of swivel joint 36. a a

An optional constructionof the yielding means is shown will support thelfram for .easy rolling movement when; i

merely. its own weight. and. the weight of the mattress and covers. Additional weight overcomes these yielding means to the point where the rollers are immobilized.

Holes 67, 68 (see Fig. 4) are drilled in the upper flange of side 25. These holes are for the purpose of receiving headboard support means 69. These means comprise an assembly of three arched members 70, 71, 72. These arched members are preferably pieces of tubing bent to form a central portion 70a, 71a, 72a respectively, with two arms 70b, 70c, 71b, 71c, 72!), 72c, respectively disposed at right angles to the central portion. The central portion of member 71 is disposed lower than the corresponding portion of members 70 and 72, arms 71b and 716 project below the ends of 70b, 72b and 70c, 720 respectively. Arms 7%, 72b and 700 and 720 terminate at the same elevation. These three arched members may conveniently be tack-welded together, to form a track 76 between the central portions of the arched members 70 and 72 for receiving a headboard 77. This headboard rests atop the central portion of arched member 71. It will be seen that the headboard can he slid back and forth in track 76 or can be lifted entirely out of the track. The lower portion of arms 71b and 710 are insertable in holes 67 and 68 and the lower portions of the arms 70b, 72b, 70c and 720 act as stops to keep the track from tipping. The central portions of arched members 7072 are placed about two inches below the upper surface of a mattress 78 which is atop the bed frame. There is suflicient space between the storage cabinet 11 and wall 35 to receive the headboard 77.

The method of converting the bed and sofa will be evidentfrom the drawings. In Fig. 1, the headboard 77 rests in its track 76 and part of it is disposed between wall 35 and storage cabinet 11.

In this condition, and regardless of the position of the cover 17, the headboard acts as a key which prevents the frame from being turned around the swivel joint. When in the sofa position, extra bedding, pillows and the like may be stored in cabinet 11, with the cover 17 lowered so that cushion 18 serves as a bolster or back rest. It will be observed that part of the storage cabinet overhangs the mattress.

When the roller-supports and swivel joint support only the weight of the frame, the headboard and the mattress, each of the roller supports in in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The springs 64 exert sufficient force to move the bearing away from the horizontal flange of the sides and thereby lifts the frame away from the floor. Under these circumstances, the bed frame is supported by the swivel joint at one corner. At the other corners, it is supported by the rollers through the yielding means, and it can easily be rolled back and forth on the rollers around theswivel joint.

When a load is placed on the bed sufiicient to over come the springs 64, the' bed frame moves down relative to the rollers. In' the embodiment shown in solid line in Fig. 8, thelower end of the yokes then will rest on the floor. This contact with the floor acts as a brake which immobilizes the roller supports so that the frame will not creep around when the furniture is occupied. The yoke is merely an extension of the frame and if desired the downwardly projecting flange 27 could make contact with ,the floor instead of the yoke.

Alternately, if desired, the horizontal flange 26 could be'extended as shown indotted lines and indicated by numeral 66 in Fig. 8 so that the horizontal flange would itself bear againstthe rollerfto act as a brake on the roller and immobilize the, same. In either case, the roller supports would be immobilized and the frame will no longer be .supported atithe roller supports through the yielding meansij 1'. V 1, Y

....If desired, means maybe provided for restrictingthe serene: of movement of thelheadb oard and for, per-- mitting removal of the headboard only under certain in any vertical plane.

conditions. For this purpose, there are provided in the headboard, a pair of spring-loaded knobs 90, 91. These knobs are preferably placed on the side of the headboard away from the mattress. As best shown in Fig. 3, each knob has a protruding portion 92 with a stem 93 which projects into a bore 94 in the heardboard. A spring 95 loads the knob outward and a retainer such as a set screw 96 holds the knob in the bore so it is not ejected therefrom by the spring.

Knob 90 is placed on an elevation just above the central portion of the central U-shaped member 71, while knob 91 is placed on an elevation just below the central portion of U-shaped member 70. This arrangement of knobs substantially prevents the headboard from being tilted in its track. Knob 90 is disposed sidewardly of the arm 70b (when the headboard is centered) by distance which is substantially equal to the amount by which the storage cabinet and bolster overhangs the bed frame. Accordingly, the headboard can be pulled out in its track a sufficient distance for its inner edge to clear the storage cabinet before the knob 90 engages arm 7%. This permits the piece of furniture to be converted from the sofa to the bed configuration without completely removing the headboard.

If the headboard is to be removed, the knobs 9t and 91 may be pushed in so as to be substantially flush with the side surface of the headboard and the headboard can then be lifted out. Alternately, the central portion 70a of member '70 is provided with two dimples 97, 98 (see Fig. 2). If it is not desired to push the knobs 9t] and 91 in to release the headboard, the headboard, while in its central position as shown in Fig. 4, can be lifted directly up, the knobs 90 and 91 passing through the dimples 97 and 98 even when the knobs are in their extended position.

To give additional side support to the arms 71b and 710, frame 25 can be dimpled to provide support tubes 99 and 100.

The immobilization of the roller supports is particularly important when the bed is in the sofa position, because persons seated on the mattress ordinarily lean against the bolster. This creates a force tending to swivel the bed out from the wall and is very undesirable. The yielding means shown resist this sidewardly force and the frame will not creep out.

When the furniture is to be converted to a bed, the headboard may be lifted out or slid out depending on its closeness to the wall and with the bed unoccupied so that the frame is supported by the rollers through the yielding means, the frame is pulled out around the swivel joint. The position of the cover 17 is immaterial at this time although ordinarily the cover will be lifted to give access to the bedding'and the like stored therein. However, the position of the cover in the converting of this piece of furniture is immaterial. After the frame has been moved to its desired position, the headboard may be replaced in the track to provide a clean and sanitary I headboard adjacent to the head of the sleeper, or left out of the track entirely.

When the bed is occupied, the yokes or other extension of the frame will sink so as to immobilize the roller supports and the frame will again be braked against movement around the swivel joint. It will be noted that all of the brakes are applied simultaneously.

The ball-and-sink swivel joint at one corner of the frame enables the other three corners of the frame to move up and down without imposing a strain on the swivel joint or on the frame. This is a consequence of the freedoms of movement of the joint around the ball This is-difierent from a standard hinge in which no vetrical movement is attainable. In such an arrangement, a downward movement of the 'frame would have to deform either the frame or the hinge. The ball and sink comprise a recess (sink), and

a pivot member (the ball) The removableheadboard'is a considerable advantage in this piece of furniture in that it provides means for conveniently keying the frame relative to the storage cabinet, which provides an additional lock against the frame swiveling around the swivel joint when in the sofa position. It also constitutes an inexpensive and easily replaceable part in case a person forcibly pulls the frame out from the wall and breaks off the headboard against the storage cabinet.

This piece of furniture is easily moved from one position to another when unoccupied, and is quite difiicult to move when occupied. It is thereby rendered easily convertible and stable in its adjusted position.

In addition, this piece of furniture need not have any part of it permanently attached to any portion of the room, but instead the swivel joint 36 may be placed anywhere in the room without attaching it to the floor or the wall and thereafter serves as a stable pivot point for the frame. It will be recognized that, while Fig. 1 shows a right-hand piece of furniture, it is also typical of a left-hand piece, it merely being necessary to change the relative locations of the swivel joint and roller supports as appropriate.

This invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings and described in the description, which are given by way of example and not of limitation, but only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A headboard structure for a bed comprising: headboard support means which include three bent rod-like members, each member including a central portion and two arms which lie in a common plane with the central portion and lie on the same side thereof, said members being attached together in side-by-side relationship so that their arms abut and so that the central portion of the middle one of said members is lower than the central portion of the outer two of said members, so as to form a track between the central portions of the said members, the central portion of the middle member forming the bottom of the track; and a headboard reciprocable in said track.

2. An article of furniture adapted to be placed on the floor comprising: a frame adapted to support a mattress; a swivel joint supporting one portion of said frame and comprising a sink member and a pivot member, one of said members being attached to the frame and the other one of said members being adapted to rest on the floor, said swivel joint having the property of permitting the frame to tip in any plane vertical to' the floor around said joint; a plurality of roller supports attached to the frame at locations spaced from the swivel joint, which roller supports are adapted to rest on the floor and support the frame therefrom, each of said roller supports including a roller, a pair of yokes attached to the frame, a shaft projecting from each end of each roller and into one of said yokes each yoke forming a vertical inner guide of greater length than the corresponding dimension of the shaft which projects therein, so that each shaft is vertically reciprocable within said yoke, and springing means withineach yoke in opposition between the respective shaft and the frame, so as to bias the roller away from the frame and to support the frame upon the rollers through the springing means when the article of furniture is loaded with less weight than required to overcome the springing means, and in which the springing means are overcome by a greater weight and permit the frame to' lower relative to the rollers so as to immobilize the roller supports; headboard support means attached to i said frame for providing a track thereon; a headboard disposed in said track; structurestationary relative to the floor and adjacent to the frame and overhanging the frame, whereby said headboard, when placed in said track adjacent to the structure,engages the structure and admitti- 7 tion; andwhereby said headboardlis movable from said adjacency to permit rotation of said frame, in said direction. a

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said headboard support means comprises three bent tubular memhers, each member including a central portion and two arms extending in the same direction from said central portion, said members being attached together in side by side relationship so that their arms abut and so that the central portion of the middle one of, said'members is lower than the central portion of the outer twoof said members so as to form a track between the central portions of the said members, the central portion of the middle member forming the bottom of the track;'

4. Apparatus according to claim3 in which the arms of the outer two members terminate at the same elevation and the arm of the middle of said members terminates at a lower elevation, the bed frame having holes for receiving only the ends of the arms of the middle one of said members, the said frame for supporting the headboard support means. I s

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 inlwhich a knob is yieldingly mounted to a side surface of said headboard, whereby when the knob is extended it will not clear one of the members of said headboard support means and whereby when the knob is pressed flush with the headboard, it will clear said member and permit removal of the headboard.

v 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the central portion of the member adjacent to the side of the headboard having the knobs is provided with a dimple through which the knob can pass in its extended position to permit removal of the headboard.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which a pair of said knobs are provided, one of said knobs being at an elevation just above the central portion of the middle one of said members, and in which the other of said knobs is spaced sidewardly from and above said first mentioned knob at an elevation just beneath the central portion of a side one of said members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 785,763 Ritchie Mar. 28, 1905 859,463 Salquist July 9, 1907 1,344,940 Gavin June 29, 1920 1,621,163. Hampton Mar. 15, 1927 2,059,420 Ward Nov. 3, 1936 2,260,079 Lombardi et a1 Oct. 21, 1941 2,306,812 Ketive Dec. 29, 1942 2,528,871 Deuschle Nov. 7, 1950 2,550,762 Backus May 1, 1951 2,602,937 Frey July 15, 1952 2,691,174 Harrison Oct. 12, 1954 vipe -mm r 

